Title: Solving station decision problem in bicycle ad hoc networks

Authors: Wen Ouyang; Chang Wu Yu; Kun-Ming Yu; Ko-Jui Lin; Hsin-Wen Chang; Hung-Nien Hsieh; Lin-Li Tai; Chung-Han Lin

Addresses: Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering, Chung Hua University, Hsinchu 30012, Taiwan ' Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering, Chung Hua University, Hsinchu 30012, Taiwan ' Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering, Chung Hua University, Hsinchu 30012, Taiwan ' Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering, Chung Hua University, Hsinchu 30012, Taiwan ' Department of Leisure and Recreation Management, Chung Hua University, Hsinchu 30012, Taiwan ' Department of Architecture and Urban Planning, Chung Hua University, Hsinchu 30012, Taiwan ' Department of Leisure and Recreation Management, Chung Hua University, Hsinchu 30012, Taiwan ' Department of Leisure and Recreation Management, Chung Hua University, Hsinchu 30012, Taiwan

Abstract: The sport of biking has gained in popularity recently, leading to public bicycle systems (PBSs) being adopted in many cities and communities around the world. However, developing and designing a successful PBS is challenging. This work proposes a novel problem called station decision problem for bicycle ad hoc networks. The problem is to find the minimum number of bike stations required while satisfying reachability and richness conditions. After that, practical geographic concerns, such as unreachable areas and maximum distances, are considered. Station decision algorithms are provided, with simulations conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of the methods. Real site data are also plugged in to show the result of the station decision algorithms.

Keywords: station decisions; bicycle ad hoc networks; location allocation; PBSs; public bicycle systems; reachability; richness; cycling; bike stations; simulation; bike parking.

DOI: 10.1504/IJAHUC.2014.064347

International Journal of Ad Hoc and Ubiquitous Computing, 2014 Vol.16 No.2, pp.93 - 102

Received: 01 Feb 2013
Accepted: 15 Jul 2013

Published online: 19 Aug 2014 *

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